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MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections has proclaimed the party-lists that will occupy 63 seats allotted under the party-list system in the 20th Congress.
Intended to give marginalized and underrepresented sectors a voice in legislation, the system has long faced criticism for being co-opted by political dynasties and business interests.
Following the 2025 midterm polls, questions over the credibility of some winning groups have resurfaced.
Here’s a look at the top six party-lists that secured more than one seat, the sectors they claim to represent and the backgrounds of their nominees.
Three seats
Akbayan – 2.779 million votes
Unlike other groups, Akbayan positions itself as a progressive, social democratic party-list seeking to represent various marginalized sectors — including laborers, women, youth, LGBTQ+ community and indigenous peoples.
Its legislative agenda includes ending contractualization, exploring a universal basic income, expanding literacy campaign programs and school health services, boosting vocational education and paid internships, and advocating for gender-affirming healthcare.
Akbayan has filed bills promoting a human rights- and public health-based drug policy, a right-to-care card for healthcare proxies, the repeal of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995, the Safe Spaces Act and monthly stipends for students in state universities and colleges.
Securing three seats, the party-list will be represented by human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, incumbent Rep. Perci Cendaña and Moro leader Dadah Ismula.
While Diokno hails from a family with a history of public service, he is not considered part of a political dynasty, as there is no succession or simultaneous holding of elected positions within his family.
Duterte Youth – 2.338 million votes
The right-wing party-list adopts the surname of former President Rodrigo Duterte, which stands for “Duty to Energize the Republic Through the Enlightenment of the Youth.”
Founded in 2016 to support his presidency, it claims to represent the youth. Duterte Youth, however, has a track record of red-tagging young people, accusing them of being members of subversive groups.
The party-list faces a disqualification complaint for engaging in such acts, which the poll body now considers as an election offense.
Despite placing second, Duterte Youth has not been proclaimed due to its pending cases, which the Comelec said they have until June 30 to resolve.
Among the measures it has recently filed are proposals to reinstate the death penalty and to rename the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to Manila International Airport.
Several House Bills for which it is listed as principal author, however, stem not from original filings but from substitute bills that consolidate similar measures filed by other lawmakers.
Duterte Youth has also been criticized for only attending House hearings when they involve the Duterte family, such as the deliberation on the Office of the Vice President’s proposed 2025 budget and the alleged misuse of confidential funds.
If not disqualified, the party-list is expected to be represented by Rep. Drixie Cardema, Berlin Lingwa and Ron Godfrey Bawalan. All three have military or police backgrounds, having served in the Philippine Army or law enforcement.
Tingog – 1.822 million votes
Tingog Party-list, rooted in Leyte, became the final group to win three seats in the 2025 elections — its largest representation yet. It pledges to represent Eastern Visayans by injecting a “regional perspective” into national issues.
Tingog has passed measures on government digitalization, consumer and merchant protection in online transactions, SIM registration, and the New Government Procurement Act.
It filed several bills related to education, the economy and health, including proposals for last-mile schools, a rural employment assistance program, and Magna Cartas for barangay health workers, public school teachers and commuters.
The group is led by House Speaker Martin Romualdez, whose son, Andrew Julian Romualdez, takes over as the first nominee, replacing his mother, Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez.
This succession underscores the group’s ties to a political dynasty, with multiple family members holding seats in Congress. The House speaker himself is the cousin of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
The two other seats will be filled by Rep. Jude Acidre and businesswoman Marie Calatrava.
Two seats
4Ps – 1.469 million votes
Pagtibayin at Palaguin ang Pangkabuhayang Pilipino, or 4Ps, shares its name with the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) cash aid program, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.
It seeks to focus on poverty alleviation, social welfare and the empowerment of marginalized sectors, particularly 4Ps beneficiaries. The party-list has faced scrutiny over alleged ties to the government’s social welfare program, which it has since denied.
The 4Ps Party-list filed measures related to the government’s conditional cash transfer program, including a bill proposing the creation of management offices in every region, city and municipality, and a resolution urging the DSWD to raise the amount of cash grants.
Other bills it filed seek to mandate funeral packages for indigents, expand tax exemptions for balikbayan purchases, and institutionalize medical aid for poor patients through the Department of Health’s (DOH) programs.
Now on its third term since winning two seats in 2022, 4Ps will be represented by incumbent Rep. Marcelino Libanan and Rep. Jonathan Clement Abalos II.
ACT-CIS – 1.239 million votes
Once the top-performing group in the 2019 and 2022 party-list races, ACT-CIS failed to retain its three seats and will now only have two. It will be occupied by Rep. Edvic Yap and Rep. Jocelyn Tulfo, wife of Sen. Raffy Tulfo.
ACT-CIS, short for Anti-Crime and Terrorism - Community Involvement and Support, Inc., claims to represent the oppressed and abused, with a platform focused on crime prevention and support for overseas Filipino workers.
The party-list was among the principal authors of the Maharlika Investment Fund. It also filed bills to boost senior employment, penalize road rage, mandate CCTV installation in establishments, and criminalize the creation and dissemination of disinformation.
ACT-CIS has drawn criticism for being part of a political dynasty, with its representatives having relatives in Congress and local government.
Ako Bicol – 1.073 million votes
Ako Bicol, a regional party-list based in the Bicol Region, was the last to secure two seats — a feat it has consistently achieved in past elections.
Its two seats will be occupied by Rep. Elizaldy Co, who previously served as the appropriations committee chairperson, and Legazpi Mayor Alfredo Garbin Jr.
The party-list has been flagged for its connection with big businesses. For instance, Co was also the president of Sunwest Construction and Development Corp. While he divested from it, reports show he is still a shareholder of firms tied to it.
Co was heavily criticized for focusing on Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds during the 2025 budget hearings and for the blank line items found in the bicameral conference committee report.
He also backed the subsidy cuts for the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and defended the billions allocated for DSWD’s Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP), which is being challenged at the Supreme Court over alleged similarities to pork barrel.
Some of the bills it filed include a universal social pension for seniors, protection and benefits for media workers, a logging ban in Cagayan de Oro, waived entrance exam fees for the top 10% of high school graduates, disaster risk and management reform, and food banks in every province and city.
Proclaimed party-lists
Each party-list representative serves a three-year term, with a limit of three terms. In the 2025 midterm elections, 52 party-lists were proclaimed, while two others were deferred due to pending disqualification cases.
This is the first of a two-part Philstar.com explainer on the background of winning party-lists for the 20th Congress.
See which party-lists made the cut here.
